This blog took a long time to come to fruition. The thought process was long (and probably boring to you), but lately it has been at the forefront of my thoughts and I could no longer ignore it. I found myself mentally “writing” blog posts in my head as I was driving, eating at restaurants, and even trying to go to sleep at night, so as I sit here, I’m wondering: Did I start this for my own sanity? My initial reaction is probably- but I hope that by “getting it out” this blog will be the means of catharsis for the constant narration provided by my inner monologue.

I know that the blog is titled “Travel” and “Life” and that I should correlate this initial post with some tidbits about my travel (after all, it does come first in the web address), but in actuality I’m not traveling at the moment- my apologies. Those dedicated posts will come later, but I will revisit my past travels as they seem appropriate.

In the meantime, I thought why not start with something that I see often and go from there? Let me preface this by saying that I’m located on the east coast, New Jersey specifically (and no, I do not pronounce it “Joisey”). NJ has several main arteries that bring people to different parts of the state- I know, I know- totally typical, Maria- what’s the point of this babble? Those of us that live in New Jersey know that we refer to an exit on one of these major roadways when we meet other New Jersey-ans to describe where we live. If you listen carefully at social gatherings and events to people getting to know each other you’re bound to hear something like, “I’m not sure where that town is,” with a response of “It’s exit X off of insert appropriate roadway here.” That being said, I’ve driven past this sign pretty often:

Whether I have been in the car alone or with the family or even with other adults, every time I saw this sign, my inner middle schooler came out and things like, What an interesting place to live! <wink, wink> would bounce around my head. In an effort to act like the adult I’m supposed to be, I always kept my thoughts to myself. That is until I went to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania a couple of years ago. We went there over Thanksgiving weekend to relax and see the sights because according to their website, Lancaster contains “the oldest Amish settlement in the USA.” If you’ve been there, you probably know where I’m going with this…. they absolutely revel in dirty sounding town names! As you walk down the streets you’ll find plenty of shops with souvenirs sporting a picture of road signs pointing in different directions proudly touting names like Intercourse, Virginville, Blue Ball, and Paradise juxtaposed with deeply religious items and homemade crafts. (I’d include a picture, but I don’t want to infringe on anyone’s copyright so if you’re interested you can look them up yourself.)

Talk about vindication! I am not alone. In fact, I even bought myself a t-shirt with the aforementioned road signs to commemorate the occasion and every time I wear it, someone comments and laughs about it with me. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one whose mind finds humor in the sexual innuendo of these town names. Which brings me to the final reason for starting this blog: community. There has to be others out there who perceive things similarly to me. I know that I have found a few blogs I enjoy reading and perhaps there will be a few people that enjoy reading mine. In the meantime, be patient with me while I learn what I’m doing here. If you’ve enjoyed this post, please subscribe and share it with like-minded individuals!